Sound-deadening wall and material



May 30, 1939- J. E. GRAHAM ET AL SOUND-DEADENING WALL AND MATERIAL FiledJuly 9, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 "1,1, I J/// Q\ May 3 1939- J. E. GRAHAMEr AL 2,160,729

SOUND-DEADENING WALL AND MATERIAL Filed July 9, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENT BY y In #m We ATTORNE Patented May 30, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE 2,100,129 V soUNn-nasnsnmo WALL AND MATERIAL chusetts ApplicationJuly 9, 1936, Serial No. 89,790

istics. A most important characteristic of the wall of this inventionlies in the improved ability of the wall to absorb sound waves and theimprovement in this respect is believed to be due to the flexible,though apparently rigid, multi-layer s material which, though unitarywith respect to application to thewall, includes separate adherentlayers of material of wholly different characteristics, plus a surfaceor exposed lightecolored film or layer adherent thereto.

Prior to this invention, it has been suggested that a sound-deadeningwall might include porous material in layer form, for example, cloth orfelt, and such material, after being attached to a plaster or otherequivalent permanent wall backing, was then treated when in place toprovide an ornamental surface. Such suggestions, however, have not beenadopted generally and practically to any appreciable extent and,moreover, involve hand labor and expense and considerable time afterbeing attached before the wall can be provided with an acceptablelight-colored surface as is required for home construction. The presentinvention, however, provides a complete and substantially finished walland one which advanu tageously may be used at once with or withoutadditional treatment, and at the same time provides the all importantsound-deadening characteristics to which the invention is particularlydirected.

In the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification:

Fig. l is a front elevation, with parts broken away, illustrating ourinvention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the wall of this invention;and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the novel sound-deadeningmaterial and the manufacture thereof. 7

Referring to the drawings in which like numerals represent like parts,the usual permanent outside wall of a building is generally indicated at2 and, as here shown, includes studding l, sheathing 8, heat-insulatingpaper 1, and shingles or the like! on the outside of said insulatingpaper or the like.

To the inside of such permanent wall 2, there is attached by nails 9 orother suitable fastening to the studding l, or equivalent structure, awall board backing l0 and adhesively secured thereto by an adhesivelayer of cement l2, sodium silicate for example, is a unitarymulti-layer, flexible sound-deading material, generally designated atll. Said unitary multi-layer material It comprises an open porous layerof rag and paper (water-laid) felt l6 having corrugations II, ashereinafter more fully described, to which felt ,IB is adhesivelyattached, by means of a layer of flexible and preferably water-proofcement It, a water-proof layer of felt 20. Preferably the water-prooflayer 20 is saturated with asphalt which saturant itself or asphaltadditionally applied fiexibly and adhesively attaches said waterprooflayer 20 to theopen or porous layer It, though rubber or other flexiblecements will adequately serve. The water-proof layer 20 carries upon itsoutside surface a light-colored flexible and ornamental pigmented layeror layers 22 which are adhesively held to the layer 20 by reason of thebinder or binders in said layer 22. In practice and preferably saidornamental layer 22 is made up of two layers applied'to and made a partof the unitary multi-layer material at the time of manufacture thereofand prior to the combining and adhesive attachment together of thelayers It and 20 by the flexible cement l8. It has been found inpractice that the waterproof layer 20, even when previously waterproofedby being saturated with asphalt in an amount equal to or greater thanits own weight, may be provided with a light-colored or even whitepigmented surface by coating the asphalt saturated layer with awater-emulsified linseed oil paint, and hence in the absence of anythinner which would have a solvent action on the underlying asphalt orlike black hydro-carbonaceous materiaiwhich solvent thinner, as in anordinary oil paint, would cause a staining of the pigmented surface byreason of its solvent action on said asphalt or the like. Moreover, suchlayer is found in practice to be sufllciently tough and flexible as topermit a reasonable amount of bending of the unitary multi-layermaterial so that it may be bent around corners as small as a radius ofsay "/8" for the outside corners where the paint layer is in tension anda radius of or even smaller, for inside corners where the paint layer isin compression. If desired, however, to obtain an even better andsmoother finish, an additional and flexible coat of oil paint includinga hydro-carbon solvent is preferably applied to the coat ofwateremulsified paint just mentioned and it has been found that the coatof water-emulsified paint, when dried, effectively provides a barrierlayer .between the solvent of such after-applied paint and the preferredasphaltic saturant of the layer- 20. If desired, the layer 22 may be sopigmented, applied, or indented as to provide the appearance of a roughplastered or stippled or textured surface. In order to providesufficient flexibility for the relatively thick unitary multi-layersounddeadening material so that it may be rolled and unrolled withoutsubstantial fracture or cracking of the material when so rolled andunrolled and during the application thereof to the wall board backing,it is highly desirable and in most cases necessary that the said layerl6 be corrugated or indented by a series of parallel lines and/orcontinuous or discontinuous indentations ill, the lines of suchcorrugations or the like being at right angles to the length of thematerial and parallel to the axis of the roll. In the preferred productin which each layer has a minimum thickness of at least .020 and ispreferably .026" to .040" the corrugations or indentations may suitablybe in parallel lines approximately A or thereabouts apart. Such a layerfurther tends to better bridge any small irregularities in the wallboard backing, and such dry felt material though possessing littleinherent strength is sufficiently stiffened and held in place by theasphalt saturated layer 20 of relatively high tensile strength andstiffness. The aggregate thickness of the finished product including thelight-colored layer or layers 22 is of the order of .070" to .075" whichgives adequate thickness and characteristics for the sound-deadening asheretofore described, as well as suf icient stiffness and body toprovide a durable and attractive wall having the novel and usefulcharacteristics as herein described.

The sound absorption capacity of a wall made in accordance with thisinvention as above described, is found to be much greater than that ofan ordinary plaster wall made up of lime or gypsum plaster includingscratch, brown and finished coats on wood-lath. The figures of ac tualtests made of such sound absorption coefd= cients are as follows:

Sound cycles 128 256 512 i024 2040 Our structure .070 .160 .210 .380.330 Ordinary gypsum plaster .020 .022 .032 .039 .039 Ordinary limeplaster .024 .027 .030 .037 .010

In addition to such striking sound absorption characteristics, the wall,in practice, is found to have very good heat insulating characteristics.Moreover, it forms a ready and practical substitute for plasterconstruction at a substantial saving in the cost of lath, plaster, laborand necessary drying time, before woodeninterior trim may be installed.Besides, the wall is permanent Without any likelihood of cracking orother failure due to excessive swelling and shrinking such as inevitablyresult from the application of wet plaster, and does not shatter due tovibration and shock as does an ordinary plaster wall.

Having described our invention, what we wish to claim and secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In association with a building wall construction which includes apermanent wall portion and a layer of wall board affixed to saidpermanent wall portion and providing a continuous wall board backing, anadherent flexible multi-layer unit adhesively secured to said wall boardbacking, said unit comprising a series of layers, including a porousopen water-laid felt layer adjacent said backing, a water-proofsaturated felt layer permanently united to said felt layer, saidwater-proof saturated layer having permanently united. thereto upon theexposed surface thereof a relatively light-colored pigmented surfacecoating.

2. In association with a building wall construction which includes apermanent wall portion "and a layer of wall board affixed to saidpermanent wall portion and providing a continuous Wall board backing, anadherent flexible multilayer unit adhesively secured to said wall boardbacking, said unit comprising a series of layers including a Verticallycorrugated porous, open felted layer adjacent said backing, awater-proof saturated layer permanently united to said felt.

layer, said water-proof saturated felt layer having permanently unitedthereto upon the exposed surface thereof a relatively light-coloredpigmerited flexible surface coating.

3. In association with a building wall construction which includes apermanent wall portion and a layer of wall board affixed to saidpermanent wall portion and providing a continuous wall board backing, anadherent flexible layer of porous water-laid felt adhesively secured tosaid Wall board backing, a layer of flexible water-proof adhesive on theopposite surface of said felt, a water-proof saturated layer of feltpermanently united to said felt layer, said Water-proof saturated layerhaving permanently united thereto upon the exposed surface thereof arelatively light-colored pigmented flexible surface coating.

4. In association with a building wall construetion which includes apermanent wall portion and a layer of wall board affixed to saidpermanent Wall portion and providing a continuous wall board backing, anadherent flexible layer of porous water-laid felt adhesively secured tosaid wall board backing, a layer of flexible waterproof adhesive on theopposite surface of said felt, a water-proof asphalt saturated layer offelt permanently united to said felt layer, said asphalt saturated layerhaving permanently united thereto upon the exposed surface thereof arelatively light-colored pigmented flexible surface coating.

5. In association with a building wall construc tion which includes apermanent wall portion and a layer of wall board affixed to saidpermanent wall portion and providing a continuous Wall board backing, aflexible layer of water-laid felt adhesively secured bya water-solublecement to said wall board backing, a layer of water-proof flexiblecement on the opposite side of said felt, a Water-proof saturated layerof felt permanently united by said cement to said felt layer, saidwater-proof saturated layer of felt having permanently united theretoupon the exposed surface thereof a relatively light-colored pigmentedwater-proof flexible surface coating.

6. In association with a building wall construction which includes apermanent wall portion and a layer of wall board affixed to saidpermanent wall portion and providing a continuous Wall board backing, aflexible layer of water-laid felt adhesively secured by a water-solublecement to said wall board backing, a layer of water-proof flexiblecement on the opposite side of said felt, a water-proof asphaltsaturated layerof felt permanently united by said cement to said feltlayer, said asphalt saturated layer of felt having permanently unitedthereto upon the exposed surface thereof a relatively light-coloredpigmented water-proof flexible surface coating.

7. In association with a building wall construction which includes apermanent wall portion and a layer of wall board aflixed to saidpermanent wall portion and providing a continuous wall board backing, anadherent flexible multilayer unit adhesively secured to said wall boardbacking, said unit comprising a series of layers, including a porous,open felted layer adjacent said backing, a water-proof saturated feltlayer permanently and adhesively united by a waterproof flexible cementto said felt layer, said water-proof saturated felt layer havingpermanently united thereto upon the exposed surface thereof a relativelylight-colored pigmented flexible surface coating.

8. A building wall sound-deadening material comprising a flexiblemulti-layer unit made up of a series of layers including a porous open,water-laid felt layer, a flexible water-proof cement on one sidethereof, a water-proof saturated felt layer permanently united by saidcement to said felt layer, and permanently united to said water-proofsaturated layer upon the exposed surface thereof a relativelylight-colored pigmented flexible surface coating.

9. A building wall sound-deadening material comprising a flexiblemulti-layer unit made up of a series of layers including a porous open,water-laid felt layer, a flexible water-proof cement on one sidethereof, a water-proof asphalt saturated felt layer permanently unitedby said cement to said felt layer, and permanently united to saidasphalt saturated layer upon the exposed surface thereof a relativelylight-colored pigmented flexible surface coating.

comprising a 10. A building wall sound-deadening material comprising aflexible multi-layer unit made up of a series of layers including aporous open, water-laid felt layer transversely indented, a flexiblewater-proof cement on one side thereof, a water-proof saturated feltlayer permanently united by said cement to said felt layer, andpermanently united to said water-proof saturated layer upon the exposedsurface thereof a relatively light-colored pigmented flexible surfacecoating.

11. A building wall sound-deadening material flexible multi-layer unitin transportable roll form, said unit being made up of a series oflayers includinga porous open waterlaid felt layer transverselyindented, a flexible water-proof cement on one side thereof, awaterproofed felt layer permanently united by said cement to said firstmentioned felt layer, and having permanently united to saidwater-proofed layer upon the exposed surface thereof a relativelylight-colored pigmented flexible surface coating.

2. A building wall sound-deadening material comprising a flexiblemulti-layer unit in transportable roll form, said unit being made up ofa series of layers including a porous open waterlaid felt layer, aflexible water-proof cement on one side thereof, a water-proofed feltlayer permanently united by said cement to said first mentioned feltlayer, and having permanently united to said water-proofed layer upontheexposed surface thereof a relatively light-colored pigmented flexiblesurface coating.

JAMES E. GRAHAM. EDWIN M. LINES.

